Man injured after train smashes into SUV

Updated 10:28 pm, Thursday, November 8, 2012

The driver of a SUV was injured after it was struck by a train near the Beacon Falls, Conn. train station on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, Metro-North officials said.

The driver of a SUV was injured after it was struck by a train near the Beacon Falls, Conn. train station on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, Metro-North officials said.

Photo: WTNH News 8

Man injured after train smashes into SUV

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BEACON FALLS -- A man is lucky to be alive after his sports-utility vehicle ended up in the path of a Metro-North train Thursday.

Police are still trying to figure out if slippery roads played a role in the crash or if the man accidentally hit the gas pedal.

The Chevy Blazer appeared to be wedged underneath the train at the Beacon Falls station.

"The vehicle entered up (onto the tracks) and had its two front tires that were stuck up on the, in-between the rails," said Capt. James McKenna, MTA Police.

The train smashed into it, dragging the SUV and spinning it around, before finally coming to rest.

The collision damaged the guard rail and fence, and sent the lone occupant, a man in his 50s, to the hospital.

MTA police tell News 8 he was unconscious when emergency personnel got to the scene, so they're not sure how he got his front tires stuck up on the tracks. However, the driver is extremely lucky as the train was already slowing down to stop at the station, officials said.

"There was about 40 passengers on board, they were removed and provided bus service," said McKenna.

Trains on the Waterbury branch line had to be halted for a couple hours while the fire department and the state police extricated the driver and pulled the car off the tracks. They were running on a normal schedule by Thursday night.

The parking lot at the small depot in Beacon Falls is right next to the tracks. The driver may have accelerated accidentally when he was parking. It's not yet clear exactly why he landed on the tracks, but the driver's now listed in stable condition at Waterbury Hospital.